The heaviest responsibility rests with the Evangelist, superbly done by Podger. Though he rises to moments of great dramatic oratory in places...most of his account is delivered in measured tone and pace...Ars Nova Copenhagen's impeccable intonation creates a vibrant sonority at moments of cadential repose. Jespersen's Christus is deeply felt

Ars Nova Copenhagen and Paul Hillier make a good case here for what it, on the surface, pretty dry music. Aside from the very well-handled choral interjections (you wait for them, and boy, how they move you when they arrive!) the conductor initiates a steady build up of tension over this hour-long musical journey.

Julian Podger matches the sparseness of Schutz's plainsong-like lines...with suitably restrained vocal production...What keeps the attention here is the way that all the solo singers - including those drawn from choir for the minor roles - inject just enough urgency and drama into their singing for us to feel the power of the unfolding story, but not so much as to disturb the work's underlying serenity and understatement...A hair-shirt Easter treat.

So plain is the story-telling that the Evangelist (the excellent Julian Podger) sings his familiar narration, deftly inflected, unaccompanied throughout; the touches of expressiveness from the choral interjections are all the more powerful, and the theological understanding is profound.